


A Little Drained

by snacc_noir



Series: Prompt me cowards: Tumblr Ficlets [8]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Claustrophobia, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, alternate universe where chat is deadbeat and constantly making self-deprecating jokes, summaries man idk this was a tumblr thing i forgot i had to post here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:27:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26830648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snacc_noir/pseuds/snacc_noir
Summary: Ladybug helps out her little claustrophobic kitten
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: Prompt me cowards: Tumblr Ficlets [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1738810
Comments: 3
Kudos: 86





	A Little Drained

**Author's Note:**

> e-milieeee asked:
> 
> 2\. “I’ve always thought the idea of being a prisoner would be kind of cool”
> 
> B. Cynical Chat Au

“Chat? You’ve gone quiet.”

That was _never_ a good sign.

The pipe’s rattled around them. King Sewage (Yes, that’s who they were fighting. Ladybug didn’t get paid nearly what she deserved) hadn’t even been active _long_ since transformation, but the jail-like traps he’d set from the drain chutes had stifled their unsuspecting selves in tight corners before meeting the Royal Pain.

At this point, she wouldn’t mind never finding out what could provoke someone into forming an akuma dubbed _King Sewage_.

“My life’s meaning is always quiet.”

She sighed. “Look, I know it’s a… _gross_ situation,” Ladybug pressed on, “but we need to start thinking of a way out this pipe cell without cataclysm so we can use it to break the akumatised object. I'm sure we can get out of this another way."

Chat didn’t seem alert to leave anytime soon, crouched in the corner and tailored back to her spotted feet. His tail whipped. The quaint space just might’ve been the length of it. Both were jam-packed in there, but him sitting had relieved the breathing ability a little.

“Let’s enjoy it for the time being,” his monotone, deadbeat voice travelled. “I’ve always thought the idea of being a prisoner would be kind of cool.”

She scoffed at that.

“The only prisoner you are is one to those awful jokes. This is serious. Start thinking.”

King Sewage would find them someday - in fact, she could hear his echoing threats about their Miraculouses carrying down a few bends as he checked his traps for the pair, and he might have been closer than she thought.

But the _odour_.

Oh, that smell. _Those_ smells. They thickened in their space even through the pipes’ gaps.

Yeah. Nup. She was getting out _now_ , and she—

“Chat?”

He had again gone silent.

Not in the thoughtful, deliberating sense (like he never did), but an eerie, jolting way that as soon as a minute passed, that silence screamed and her attention found it.

Chat didn’t go quiet often, and trapped in this cell, he had already twice.

“Chat?” He hadn’t responded. She turned around.

A slight rocking rhythm to his crouch furrowed her brow.

The awakening of the reason shot it up.

“Hang on, aren’t you- aren’t you _claustrophobic_?”

His tail thrashed.

“Oh Chat- _Kitty_ , I-” How didn’t she realise? He was closed in on himself in fierce trepidation.

Ladybug vaulted, cradling him in her strength. With her chin on his shoulders and chest on his, she saw his eyes were squeezed shut and felt the deep breathing.

“We’ll get you out. Hang in there.” She took her surroundings in inventory and begged her mind to reveal something, _anything_ , but it was to no avail. “Okay. Okay, you’re going to cataclysm us out. Is that alright?”

He nodded hurriedly, but quickly morphed into a shake. “No. No, we have to save it.”

“You can recharge while I greet this guy. He’s still far off. We need to get you out of here.”

After a deep inhale, Chat mumbled cataclysm and rusted the pipe-strewn trap into dust. They collapsed from the bird cage and he heaved on all fours with the sewage floor under him.

He took a moment of composure. She watched, heart aching. But like he wasn’t petrified a second ago, he lept and straightened into the lifeless-eyed, satire smiled, loveable Chat she knew.

“I’m just a dramatic soul,” he said, but frazzle to his posture still seethed.

She grinned. “Sure.”

“I just wanted to get out because of the smell.”

She’d seen him pass horrendous cheese parlours with winds of rank without some bit of a nose twitch.

His ring beeped.

“Go change, theatre nerd.”

He looked at her like he wanted to challenge the command with a cynical remark, but his eyes fell, hands close to bunching in nervousness. He gazed up, down, then finally up again, when he darted forward to give her cheek a kiss, and spun around just as fast.

Breaking into sprint, Chat vanished down the sewage length until reaching a curve to bound with disappearance.

King Sewage called the other direction.

With a hand, Ladybug whirred her yo-yo in readiness. The other lifted to caress her tingling cheek.

“Silly Kitty,” her breath said. “I hope he knows there’s people who care.”

**Author's Note:**

> if you want as much fulfilment in your life as Chat obviously has, check out my [ tumblr](https://snacc-noir.tumblr.com/) \- there's more cynical chat (tag: cynical chat au), more hopeless crack, and iconic posts *finger guns in sadness*


End file.
